1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to archery equipment, and, more particularly, to bow string arrangements in archery bows.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of archery bows have been developed, including traditional bows (i.e., long bows and recurved bows) and compound bows. All archery bows include a pair of opposed limbs extending from a riser or handle of the bow. As an archer draws the bow by pulling on a string, the limbs flex and store energy. This energy is transferred to the arrow as the archer releases the string.
A compound bow is a popular design for archery bows and includes one or more cams (for example, eccentric wheels or pulleys). Compound bows use a cable or string system which extends over at least one cam rotatably mounted at a distal end of a bow limb to provide a mechanical advantage during the drawback of the string. Such cams enable a peak draw force (i.e., a peak pull force on a drawstring of a bow to maintain a draw) to be reached in the middle of a draw such that the draw force drops at full draw.
With this arrangement, when the drawstring is in the full draw position, maximum potential energy is stored in the bow while the force required to maintain the drawstring in the full draw position is less than the maximum draw force of the bow. In short, as the drawstring is being drawn, the draw force applied to the bow increases to a maximum force and reduces to a lower draw force at the full draw position. Accordingly, maximum energy is stored in the limbs without requiring maximum force to be applied to the drawstring to hold the bow at the full draw position. This permits the archer to maintain aim on his target prior to release for a longer period of time for a better shot.
A general goal of compound bow designs is to provide a cable or string system that allows for fletching and sighting clearances. A fletching clearance is the area of clearance needed for the cross-sectional area of a bow shaft and radially extending fletching to pass unimpeded. A sighting clearance is a region for aiming at a target unimpeded by the cable or string system. The conventional method for establishing fletching and sighting clearances is to provide cable guards. However, the cable guards create unbalanced forces in the limbs which twist the limbs detrimentally.
Another method of providing flexing and sighting clearances is to configure the bow string arrangement with a so-called xe2x80x9cshoot throughxe2x80x9d design. Such shoot through bow string arrangements may also include cable guards such as rods or the like which extend from the riser of the bow to deflect the bow strings laterally away from the trajectory path of the arrow, with resultant adverse effects as described above. Other types of shoot through arrangements attempt to move the bow strings laterally away from the trajectory path of the arrow by providing side-by-side multiple cams or idler pulleys which are likewise laterally displaced from the sighting plane associated with the trajectory path of the arrow. These bow string arrangements are complicated and expensive. For these reasons, shoot through bow string arrangements are not widely used.
An example of a shoot through bow string arrangement is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,324 (Despart, et al.). This type of shoot through design uses complicated cam arrangements (such as shown in FIGS. 17 and 21) to displace the bowstrings laterally away from the sight plane of the arrow. This type of cam arrangement is expensive and complicated. Moreover, this type of shoot through arrangement cannot be retrofitted to other types of existing bows.
Another example of a shoot through arrangement is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,915 (Kudlacek). This type of shoot through arrangement is used with a compound bow having a cam wheel at the distal ends of the limbs. A pair of spreader pins deflect the strings laterally away from the sight plane of the arrow. The laterally deflected strings are attached at their ends to the pivot shafts carrying the cams at the distal ends of the limbs. This type of arrangement work satisfactorily with a dual cam or so called xe2x80x9chatchet bowxe2x80x9d, but will not work with other types of bows. For example, a so called xe2x80x9csolo camxe2x80x9d bow having a cam at one end and an idler pulley at the other does not allow the string returning from the idler pulley to be attached at the pivot shaft carrying the cam since the string returning from the idler pulley wraps around the secondary or smaller cam. For this reason, the shoot through arrangement disclosed by Kudlacek ""915 is not used with a solo cam arrangement. Likewise, shoot through bow string arrangements have also not been used with a so called xe2x80x9ccam and a halfxe2x80x9d bow, such as manufactured by Hoyt U.S.A.
What is needed in the art is a bow string arrangement for an archery bow that allows use as a shoot through bow with any cam arrangement.
The present invention provides a bow string arrangement for an archery bow that allows a shoot through configuration regardless of the type of compound bow, and without substantial alterations to other structural components of the bow.
The invention comprises, in one form thereof, an archery bow including a riser having a sight plane associated therewith. A pair of flexible limbs extend oppositely from the riser, with. each limb having a distal end. A pair of rotating members are pivotally coupled to a respective distal end. A rotation controller includes a first saddle and a first string having opposite ends. The first string wraps the first saddle and the opposite ends are connected to a distal end of one of the limbs. The first string is located on opposite sides of the sight plane. A shoot through window includes a second saddle, a third saddle, and a second string wrapping each of the second saddle and the third saddle. The second string is located on opposite sides of the sight plane.
An advantage of the present invention is that the shoot through bow string arrangement may be used with any compound bow, regardless of the configuration of cams and/or idler wheels.
Another advantage is that the bow string arrangement inhibits twisting or turning of the saddles regardless of whether the bow is at a rest position, drawn position, or other intermediate position.
A further advantage is that the strings associated with the rotation controller and the strings associated with the shoot through window are crisscrossed relative to each other to inhibit twisting or turning of the saddles.
Yet another advantage is that the saddles are wrapped by corresponding strings so that the strings and/or saddles may slightly slide relative to each other during movement of the bow limbs.